McClelland's #14 is a delicious, perfectly balanced medium English blend. Everything is in proper proportion. There is enough Latakia to make the blend creamy and smooth, without overpowering the other components. The Orientals are rich and nutty without being bitter. And there are enough Virginias to make it subtly sweet but not sugary. McClelland's Virginias are always magnificent; they taste like honey, cinnamon and cloves.

Overall, I find this blend's flavor somewhat similar to Esoterica's Penzance. Both are favorites of mine.

Whew! Finally a green label McClellands oriental that I can enjoy! I've gone through #6, 8 and 12 so far without much success. I found them all too bland and not very interesting. This one, while not being overly exciting, is very rich and flavorful without being cantankerous or overbearing. Somehow they managed to pack all this flavor into a very smooth oriental blend. Nice!

I would not call this a "Full" mixture. This one seems somewhere in the middle to me - in between, say, Rattrays #7 Reserve and Bill Bailey's Balkan Blend. #14 is for those who desire a richer flavor but aren't looking for a latakia dump. I doubt I'll buy more of this but it was certainly a nice ride!

McClelland Oriental Blends. The key I have found over the years is: Cellaring, Cellaring, Cellaring. While most tobacco blends can benefit from cellaring, (with the usual exception of flavored/aromatics ones), with Orientals I have come to believe IMHO, this is almost a mandatory need. They seem to smooth out with age and meld better.

Although this is not my first choice in Oriental Blends, I have found a BIG difference between smoking a tin from this year and a tin from 1996.

Overall, I find this blend to be a middle of the road for this genre, tasty, smooth, seldom needing a re-light. The latakia is in a good proportion, not top heavy like many English Blends.

Rich, satisfying, burns to grey/white ash without heel moisture. The flavor is consistent throughout the run of the bowl. Slightly sweet in the beginnig, with spice infiltrating on the way down the bowl.

The leaf here is broken up like a puzzle with different sized and shaped pieces everywhere. Once I got the stuff packed properly (no small task), it then put up a struggle when I tried to light it. Once lit properly, the Orientals jumped to the forefront with a nice background of smoky Latakia. Soft and semi-sweet in its presentation.

If I'm not mistaken this is #12 with a little more Latakia. While it's an improvement, it still lacks any input from the Virginias other than a touch of sweetness. A little actual flavor from some Virginias would raise this to 3 stars, unfortunately McClelland didn't see fit to add any. 2 stars.

Nice blend from McClelland. To the contrary of many other reviews I found this tobacco to be full of flavor and very satisfying. OM14 packed nicely and lit evenly and smoked nice and dry. It had great appeal as I enjoy VA and English blends. I will thoroughly enjoy the remainder of the tin and anticipate purchasing this tobacco again.

This blend has grown on me in a big way. From the first I enjoyed it's spicy-sweet complexity, a solid 3-star blend.

I don't know what a Scottish blend is. There seem to be a variety of conflicting definitions, so sure, it's a Scottish blend, why not. To me it tastes like a sweetish Balkan with, as Bob Smith rightly says, the "rich and nutty" oriental spices coming front and center, supported by a solid and creamy Latakia background, with the Virginias here a delicately sweet condiment. It all comes together in a wonderfully balanced, accessibly nuanced blend. If this describes a Scottish blend, then I'm definitely a fan of them.

Perhaps thedstnguishdgntlmn said it best: "Tangy, Smoky, and Smooth best describes this winner. A nice change for English blend Afficianados and a must try for those who love oriental mixtures."

(And I politely disagree with those who say it is mild, flavorless, and tends to bite. To me it is moderately strong, full of flavor, with no bite.)

A really delicious blend that would make an excellent all-day smoke. Highly recommended.

Note: this blend is best after it's dried out for a while. Right out of a freshly opened tin it can be a bit too sharp and strong, and, yes, a bit bitey. Letting it dry mellows it to perfection.

Compared to the bitey #12 and most aged virginias rubbed out or otherwise, #14 is one of McC's best and most enduring blends. The orientals season the smokey, briny texture of the mix without adding acridity. I'm not sure what 'the classic' Scottish smoke may be, but whatever this blend aspires to be, it attains it. It's much better than the modern EU/Teutonic incarnation of Presbyterian, the once classic Scottish prototype. I agree with some of the reviewers here in saying that if you can get an aged tin, so much the better. I'm thinking of buying a couple this fall, one for immediate use and another for cellaring. Whatever bite there might have been has mercifully mellowed out of existence. Not as ketchupy as most other McC VA/Orientals, the taste has just the right amount of piquancy with an aroma of leather and toffee. A McC classic that straddles the boundaries of the common and the exotic.

Having been a pipe/cigar smoker since 1969 a lot of smoke from many blends has passed over my tongue and this one has become one of my favorites. About 10 years ago I put the pipes away and went solely with cigars and this is a review of one of 5 tins of this I put away with several tins of Dunhill I had bought 12 years earlier. The aroma of the freshly opened tin was one of very full spicy dark Virginia's and Orientals. No "ketchup" smell some have talked about ( but I never smelled it back when I smoked fresh tins of this before) just a nice spicy full tobacco aroma. The color of the belnd had darkened to where there was not as much varigation as I recall in a fresh tin. It packs easily and when the match is put to it, you are rewarded with a nice full blue smooth smoke which continues thru the whole bowl. Because of the predominence of the Virginias it does burn a bit warm if smoked to hard. Take your time and be gentile and it is a wonderful, full,rich, spicy and flaverfull smoke all the way to the bottom. The Orientals do lend a nice spicy tone to it and after aging for 10 years, the Latakia is very nice and smokey without intruding into the overall smoothness of the blend. I originally bought this blend as an alternative to my daily smoked 965 at that time and I'd have to say I could smoke this one all day with no regrets! Keep in mind, I'm reviewing a 10 year old tin of this and I have 4 more to go before I would have to open a new one so I will buy some more and let it age before I get to it. All in all, one of the best blends of McClellands I have smoked. I HIGHLY recomend it!

This has become a solid all day smoke for me. It's balanced between all three components. I would like a bit more Orientals to enhance the butteriness of the background flavors, but, never the less this is a very good mixture. It has the standard moisture of most McClelland blends and could be dried a tad to enhance packing and lighting, but it's not an issue for me. I don't consider this a "sweet" blend as others have indicated. It does have some sweetness due to the natural properties of the tobaccos themselves, but I wouldn't call this sweet by any means. This blend falls in the same flavor category as Frog Morton's "On The Bayou", or "On The Town", without the Perique. Also this is the medium version of Pease "Westminster" in terms of flavor. It gets spicier further down the bowl. The cut is relatively the same as the above blends as well.

Bitey, bitey, bitey. I don't get this one. I Love English blends and this being a Full Scottish mixture I thought it would be great. I was wrong.

The tin note was just OK but, not as smoky as I would have liked. The moisture content looked perfect. It packed well and lit up just fine each and every time I have tried this blend but, I always get bit. No good for me.

quality blend with fine leafs and natural sweetness and spicy taste to it with that tangy virginia touch(with the ketchupy fermented maccleland taste offcourse). it pack better in wide bowls and holds fire very well. a fine example of how oriental mixture should be.

Of the 5 or 6 blends that I tried from McClelland, this is my favorite! Whoever at McClelland created that blend is a genius!

Yes, no 14 is dark, but it smokes well, it doesn't take hours to smoke a medium pipe full- know what I mean, those pipe fulls you get tired of because they take forever?. The taste is outstanding, the black VAs sort of neutralizes the Latakia which adds in richness. This is rich and strong, but not in an unplesant way. In an extremely positive way. Think of ex-tre-me-ly satisfying taste.

Upon opening of the tin, a rich and very pleasant oriental smell welcomes your nose. Dark, dark with nice medium brown loose leaf compose this blend. Small broken black flakes identify the black VAs. Even my wife likes both the smell in the tin and the room note,which is extraordinary for an oriental blend- she makes faces everytime I buy English/Oriental blends, and everytime she smells the tin and the room note. She can't stand English blends, but tried really hard to tolerate them,so I had to compromise. I guess it's the Latakia. Anyway, I was talking about no 14! Whenever I feel like English/Oriental blends, here comes no 14.

No 14 is a great alternative to traditional English blends. Actually, McClelland says it's a classic full Scottish mixture. The adding of the black VA is just outstandingly well thought, because it gives an extra richness, smoothness and sweetness to the general taste. No overwhelmness of nicotine whatsoever. And this baby smokes dry all the way down.

Extremely highly recommended. Now that I reviewed this tobacco, I have a crazy rage to smoke it!

Update Friday FEB 16th

Boys! I just received a couple tins yesterday from my favorite tobaconnist - Blatter & Blatter, in Montréal- and let me tell you, this tobacco is a big time winner!

It smokes smooth like silk, yet consistent and very tasty, and it doesn't bite your tongue; there is an alternance between smokey rich oriental taste and sweeter taste when the blck VA is kicking in.

Any pipe smoker respecting himself must try this blend; like another reviewer said, this one doesn't smell or taste like ketchup...

Update 19 JUne 2007

This afternoon, for some reason, I was finding this blend too dark and slow burning, and having a tendency to leave the bottom of the pipe rather wet/oily, I don't know why. And I had smoked, earlier, some Presbyterian, and found it too bright and not enough dark, lacking a bit of flavour and becoming rather tongue - biting. Somehow, something clicked: Guess what I did? Yes, absolutely, I mixed the 2 together, half and half and, until now, the result is quite surprising!

It burns better, and the black VA combined with the Greek Basma grades gives it a pleasant, distinctive, slightly sweet flavor, as where the Latakia and Orientals give it a more silky, smokey taste; and I - for all our Missus out there- find the room aroma to be very discreet and pleasant...

If you do smoke both of these blends, or something similar, and experience the same problems, you might want to give this a try. I guess it will take a couple days before the different tobaccos melt properly together but, until now,it's a delightful surprise, the best of both worlds!

IMHO this is perhaps the best offering McClelland has for those who do not enjoy smoking ketchup. The balance of those TANGY Virginias,Latakia, and Orientals is superb. Absolutely no bite in this blend! A very sweet oriental mixture.It reminds of their second best offering - BRITISH WOODS. Tangy, Smoky, and Smooth best describes this winner. A nice change for English blend Afficianados and a must try for those who love oriental mixtures. 4 of 4 stars.

Pouch Aroma: Sweet and earthy, this reminds me of some of the sweeter English blends. I normally don't care for crossover blends which add Latakia to a sweet cavendish base, but they sure smell good in the pouch.

Appearance: It's mostly chopped dark brown and black tobacco with a few strings of lighter Virginias running through it. There are dense chunks that remind me of McClelland's #2035, and a nice helping of Latakia.

Packing and Lighting: Since this mixture reminds me of a tobacco available locally called "T's Special English" (supposedly a house mixture), I anticipated a similar burn and packed it in my Savinelli Autograph. It packs easily in the slightly conical bowl and should burn cool and smooth in this wonderful pipe.

It was just a little difficult to light, but once it gets lit it seems to burn quite well. The initial flavor is very subdued, and slightly earthy and musty - not at all what I was anticipating. It tastes a little peppery and blowing smoke out of my nose increases that little sensation quite nicely.

Exposition: As the burn settles in, so does the flavor; this is very mild compared to what I smelled in the pouch. It's a nice morning smoke so far, as the sweetness is only a background for the spicy Orientals and some rather nice Latakia. My only problem is that it falls into a taste category which is better filled for me by "T's Special English".

The Story: Approaching the middle of the bowl, I've been constantly fighting with tongue bite. I think this is due to the cut, as I prefer tobaccos either more finely cut like #965 or flakes and plugs. This feels like it wants to go out on me, and I think I overcompensate by puffing just a little too hard.

The flavor is deepening and losing sweetness - it's earthy and spicy now, and I think I can see where the flavor is headed. The bottom of the bowl should be quite tasty if this keeps up!

One thing I like about this tobacco is the smoke density. A couple of short puffs brings me enough smoke to blow big, thick grey rings which hang in the air quite nicely.

Denoument: OK, here at the bottom of the bowl I'm finding a lot of earthy Oriental flavor; the sweetness seems to have gone away completely. It's a nice cap-off, providing quite a bit if fullness if I blow the smoke out of my nose or french inhale lightly.

Pros: Smoky and spicy, this is a nice full-flavored tobacco that is light in nicotine content. The flavors alter in interesting ways as it is smoked down, and it gives generous quantities of thick smoke to play with. Also, despite my suspicions to the contary, it burns quite easily to the bottom with few relights.

Cons: I had trouble with bite, and the lack of complexity. It was decent enough to smoke but I doubt I'd go out of my way to get more. Well, unless someone else would smoke the first half of every bowl for me, that is.

Ok as with most tins open it and tuck it away for a few weeks. At least Three with #14. The Lalakia is up front the Black Virginia is there right behind as the bowl goes down the Oriental comes into paly with this mix. Ther is some type of flavoring ever so sublte. Like a butter scotch aroma ever so slight. Actually a good smoke milder then most Latty belnds. Room Note well as with all pipes better to smoke the outside. REDD

#14 is a little lighter than I expected I was hoping for a Bailey's Balkan flavor. This is short on the orientals and latakia, there's just not full enough for my tastes. Still a nice blend that burns well and leaves a nice gray ash and has a nice sweetness from the virginia's to it.. Just wish it had more of a kick, it is has a nice cut and moisture content.I would say try some it's worth a it, seems to fit well in the hot summer days, when other's maybe to heavy for the season. I find it to smoke best in a medium to large pipe. I smoked my 1st bowl in a small Dunhill and was not thrilled but going to a larger pipe gave the tobacco a chance to open up. Still not Bailey's but a lot better smoke.

There was a reviewer somewhere here that said when you review Oriental blends, you must remember they are not full English blends. That is one piece of advice I would like to pass along.

Perfect moisture out of the tin. My tin is dated 04/08 and I opened it in 02/11. Light on the Latikia, it is blended perfectly with the black VA's and Orientals. This is a great change up blend for those who smoke a lot of English.

I like smoking these Oriental blends to transition from summer into fall, and winter into spring.

Very nice smoking mixture, with just enough Latakia that is well balanced by the Black VAs and orientals.

A tiny too sweet at times because of the fair quantity of Stoved VA, but worth the try. An excellent offering from McClelland whose tobaccos, I find, are better suited to my liking and taste than C & D or G.L. Pease.

I had begun only smoking aromatics. Swearing up and down that I wouldn't like non aromatic tobacco I decided to try this. I loved it. It was very smooth with an almost creamy taste to it. A perfect stepping stone to get a taste of a non aromatic without being overwhelmed. It's one of my favorite blends and it opened me up to English blends.

I ordered 2 50gram tins of this blend and looked forward to an enjoyable smoke. I tried it in a variety of pipes and was somewhat disappointed. It was not as rich in taste as SuperBalkan made by McLelland and I really can not get too excited over its flavor. I tried it in 2 of my Dunhills as well as a Tim West with a moderately large bowl (about a Group 5) I did smell the "ketchupy" odor on opening the first tin but I ignored this totally. I guess perhaps this blend may grow on me but my initial opinion is one of a mediocre blend.

I purchased a couple of 50gm cans from smokingpipes.com my regular purveyor of tobaccos. Compared to Mclleland's SuperBalken this tastes somewhat flat to me and without that lingering delicious flavor that I find in Super Balkan. I really couldn't wait to get rid of the bowl as I expected a lot more from the Orientals in this blend. It is Ok I guess if you haven't had a taste of something more flavorful. It burns well but in my opinion something is missing here.

Oriental Mixture No. 14 is a fine oriental-oriented mixture; the Latakia plays in the background against an earthy Black Virginia note. The orientals are somewhat spicy. In all, a pleasant smoke that pairs well with a strong coffee.

I did not experience the bite that other reviewers noted. No. 14 burns well and down to a dry white ash. I just finished an '03 tin so I benefitted from some decent aging.

This Scottish blend is probably overlooked by many in the mass of McCelland offerings. It's worth considering.

Update: Not only is there nothing wrong with this blend, it is solid. My initial review was only in smaller bowls. Having the opportunity to sit down for a longer smoke one afternoon, I loaded a group 5+ bowl. No. 14 reached its full potential. The Latakia remains third in line, but is more distinguished now. The balance is superior and it burns to a light grey ash. Glad McClelland is a U.S. company, as the prices of imported blends are starting to show the weak U.S. Dollar against the Euro.*

Nothing wrong with this blend, but it does not shake my tree particularly. It shows fine blending finesse to be sure, but I like Rattray's Highland Targe or Deacon's Downfall more as a Scottish-type Latakia blend. This could be considered an English blend tilted toward Turkish leaf.

The Oriental is the most obvious player layered on superb Virginia leaf and fair to middlin Latakia. The Orientals are not as succulent as McClelland's Grand Oriental blends (which are just too wonderful for words).

The closest comparison is that No. 14 is a milder version of Germain's King Charles, with No. 14 a bit better behaved, but a bit less flavorful, too. If I smoked indoors exclusively, No. 14 would be a nice companion.

Recommend this to your friends exploring beyond the world of aromatics. No. 14 is very accessible.

Without a doubt the best of the McC green cans. Loads of latakia and black virginias are pefectly married in this all day smoke. It is flavorful and smooth from first to last puff and has never bitten me. It is a trusty companion that will not let you down. What can I say laddies I love the stuff!

UPDATE 5/8/13: I am removing a star because this has not remained a regular smoke for me. I still recommed it and some may find it to be a favorite.

A friend gave me a tin of this tobacco for my birthday; every friend of a pipe smoker should be so nice. Anyways, immediately after opening the tin I was overcame with the smell of ketchup, I was told by an area tobacconist that McClelland puts a very small amount of vinegar in some of their tins to stay off bacteria growth. If this is true it is the first of McClelland tobaccos that I have tried where this is the case. I took a bowls worth out and smoked it and to my surprise that smell came out in taste too. I then promptly put the tin away and forgot about it for months. The other week while getting a handle on my tobacco stash I saw the tin that I had put in the cabinet, I thought that I should give it one more try? to my disbelief the tin aroma had changed it was now heavy in Latakia. So I put a bowl in my pipe and gave it a second go. It had changed in taste too it now was a true Scottish tobacco, although not the best I have ever had it was pleasing. The initial taste was slightly sweet and then it got spicier as the bowl progressed. It was a very cool bowl and burned to an average ash. I guess that average is the best way I can describe this tobacco, nothing great but not bad either.

Let me just say that this is one of my top 5 favorite blends. I absolutely cannot get enough of it. Most of my tins are now at least five years old, so I can attest that the blend does indeed get smoother with age. Wonderful! The entire smoke comes through as slightly spicy with intermingling sweetness. Comparable to Highland Targe, but much more refined and rounded in flavor.

I am a big fan of latakia and orientals and was expecting an extraordinarily full smoke. I felt let down a little, but not much. One can indeed enjoy the very smooth fullness of the latakia meshed with orientals in this blend. There is also a bit of sweetness, of the type that I normally associate with aged virginias. That was unexpected, but not unwelcome.

This was not the heaviest English blend I have sampled nor the lightest. It also has that characteristic McClelland "something else" aroma in the tin and background flavor that I have taken a liking to. The smoke falls into both what has been described as the "sweet" English realm and the earth tones.

I have decided to christen this flavor of English blend DirtSugar.

The sweetness just makes you want to keep puffing more and more. I had no difficulty with bite or over heating.

November-2003.Oriental No 14. This is 'definitely the nicest'Oriental I have ever tried!! The taste & flavour is noticeable & delicious from the charring light,& carry's on right through to the bottom of the bowl.This is even nicer,& to me,by far better than Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe.You can definitely taste the Orienatals,Latakia & Dark Virginia's individually & evenly(This is a first) Lights with ease & doesn't bite,leaving no goop or acrid after taste in anyway.A must try,for the Oriental lover. 'Highest Reccomendation'

This blend tends to bite if not smoked carefully and could use more latakia. It's just that there are a lot of other blends available by McClelland like the Frog Morton blends and #2045 that I can't justify purchasing this again.

Like the reviewer directly above, I thought this blend to be a very exceptional smoke....and unlike the many other reviews previous...I thought this blend was not only smooth and flavorful, but had absolutely no hint of a bite whatsoever.

It's no mystery to most folks that McClelland produces a fine tobacco. For those looking for a good balkan type blend, look no further...this is a superb choice. The flavor is rich and satifying from beginning to end. The balance of oriental, latakia and virginia makes for a most pleasurable smoke. You'll find nothing overbearing in this blend, and once the bowl is finished, those turkish taste buds will cry for more. To top it off....this blend has good lighting and burning qualities..... all of which makes for a tobacco that one can definitely be loyal to.

I take exception to every review of 14 before mine. This is a delicious, full-bodied and full-flavored mixture from a damn fine blender.

The tin aroma is quite sweet and caused by the rich virginias in this mixture. While it claims to be heavy on latakia, the initial and consistent taste from 14 is a sweet, robust virginia flake.

14 is a wonderful, powerful, delicious English. Those of you who like Dunhill's Nightcap will enjoy this. It's in the same vain: an English mixture heavy on the taste of dark virginia. For those of you who prefer C&D: God help you.

Tin Aroma: This has the characteristic Latakia smokiness, but sweeter and more 'earthy' than most 'Oriental' blends.

Physical Characteristics: a variety of shapes and sizes to the individual pieces in this blend, ranging from larger dark broken flake pieces of matured virginias to smaller ribbon cut orientals, spaning the whole spectrum of tans and light browns.

Notes: The 100g tin of this I smoked had been aged for three years before I opened it. A little trouble getting it lit, but that is my cross to bear. I prefer my tobacco dry to the point of no return, so your mileage may vary, as they say. A musty, 'dry' taste pervades the first half of the bowl, giving way in the second half to a spicy, sweet flavor, but it comes with a price. The flavor does deepen into a classic (to me anyway) Oriental taste, but I had to pay particular care not to burn my tongue. During a few bowlfuls it felt as if I was playing hide and seek with the tongue bite demon. I find it very distracting to have to pay such careful attention to my smoking technique that a quarter bowl can pass without me enjoying the taste, concentrated as I am on not damaging my taste buds.

Verdict: Not a very complex blend, and probably not going to see regular rotation at my house.

Opening this tin, I was immediately greeted with the trademark pungent scent of ketchup that has come to equal "tongue bite in a can" to me. The label description is, "Dark with Latakia and black Virginias...classic full mixture". This is accurate in that the blend is dark colored, but in smoking the flavor of the tobacco is readily overpowered by the sheer scorching ability of the burn. For contrast, I smoked a bowl of C&D's Black Dawg earlier in the day while canoeing around the lake, puffing hard and not really paying much attention to my technique, and it smoked like a dream...yet in the evening when I moved to #14 and gave it my full attention for the slowest, mellowest smoke possible, one bowl left my tongue like a potato chip. There must be some serious biological incompatibility between McClelland blends and me since almost every blend I've tried leaves my tongue and gums extra-crispy. Highly recommended for the serious masochist.